Subcontractors
Working under a GC or mechanical contractor doesn't mean their policy covers you. Here's what a 1099 HVAC sub actually needs to carry.
It's an easy assumption to make: you're working under a mechanical contractor or GC, they're the one with the client relationship and the big policy, so surely their coverage extends to you. It usually doesn't, at least not the way most subs assume. A GC's or prime contractor's GL policy is built to protect their own operations and, at most, named subcontractors specifically added to it — being on their job site doing their work isn't automatically the same as being covered by their policy.
Even when a GC adds you as an additional insured on their policy for a specific project, that typically covers claims arising from their operations connecting to your work — it's not a substitute for your own general liability. If you cause a combustion incident or a refrigerant leak through your own workmanship, the GC's carrier will often look to your own policy first, and if you don't have one, you're personally exposed regardless of whose name was on the original contract.
There's a second layer here worth understanding: how you're classified matters to both you and the contractor hiring you. A worker treated as a 1099 sub but functioning like an employee — using the GC's tools, following their direct daily supervision, with no other clients — can create liability exposure for both parties if that classification is ever challenged. Carrying your own GL, invoicing under your own business name, and operating with real independence all support a genuine 1099 relationship instead of a misclassification risk sitting quietly in the background.
Most GCs and mechanical contractors working with subs will ask for your own certificate of insurance before you're allowed on site — usually showing at least $1M per occurrence GL, and sometimes naming them as additional insured on your policy. See our certificate of insurance page for what that typically looks like. Without your own COI ready to produce, you can lose access to jobs before you ever get the chance to bid them.
Coverage for a 1099 HVAC sub isn't fundamentally different from coverage for any other HVAC operator — you still need general liability sized to your combustion and refrigerant exposure. What's different is who's asking for proof of it, and how often: instead of one client relationship, you may be producing a COI for every new GC or mechanical contractor you pick up work from.
If you're doing 1099 HVAC work — occasionally or as your primary business — your own policy is what stands between a claim and your personal finances, regardless of whose name is on the job contract. See our cost breakdown for what that coverage typically runs for an independent operator.
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FAQ
No. Additional insured status typically covers claims tied to the GC's own operations connecting to your work — it's not a substitute for your own general liability covering your workmanship directly.
Most require a certificate of insurance showing at least $1M per occurrence general liability, and sometimes ask to be named as additional insured on your policy for that specific project.
It's one factor among several. Carrying your own GL, invoicing under your own business name, and operating with real independence all support a genuine independent contractor relationship rather than an employee-like one.
Often yes, especially if they want to be named as additional insured for their specific project. Keeping a current policy makes producing each new certificate quick rather than a scramble.
The underlying general liability coverage is similar — it's sized to your combustion and refrigerant exposure either way. What differs is how often you're producing a COI, since you may be working with several different GCs rather than one steady client base.
A quote takes a few minutes and gets you a COI ready for your next GC.